A New Year's celebration in the rural area of Birdsview, near Concrete, Washington, turned tragic in the early hours of January 1, 2015, culminating in the death of 47-year-old Allen Eugene Kesterson. The male victim was attending a party at a residence in the 38800 block of State Route 20. As the festivities continued into the morning, a dispute erupted between Kesterson and another partygoer, 30-year-old Jason Aaron Becktel.
Witnesses later reported hearing the two men arguing loudly shortly before the fatal encounter.
In the midst of the escalating tensions, Becktel produced a handgun and shot Kesterson. The Skagit County Sheriff's Office received a call about the shooting at approximately 4:15 a.m. and arrived to find Kesterson deceased on the property from what was later determined to be blood loss from gunshot wounds. In the hours that followed the incident, as law enforcement began their investigation, Jason Aaron Becktel turned himself in to the authorities. He was subsequently arrested and booked into the Skagit County Jail on suspicion of second-degree murder.
The legal proceedings against Becktel unfolded over the following months. During his trial, Becktel maintained that he had acted in self-defense. However, after a two-week trial in March 2017, a jury found Jason Aaron Becktel guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Allen Kesterson. He was later sentenced to 18 years and nine months in prison. At his sentencing, Becktel offered an apology for his actions on that fatal New Year's morning.
